How to become increasingly selfish about your personal space

It is an inevitable fact of life that if you don’t downsize when the children leave home, it will be common knowledge that you have a surplus of bedrooms and maybe the odd bathroom. Result: you become a sure target for the house guest.

In recent months, we have had what seems like an endless stream of house guests from various parts of the country and the world. Some were invited, others invited themselves, and we never refuse.

There was a time when I loved having house guests. Oddly enough (or perhaps not so odd), this was especially the case when all the children were at home and we had to squeeze our guests in where we could.

Being hospitable and gregarious (my husband a willing accomplice), we would invite people we hardly knew to come and stay. Sometimes the visits would be short, maybe a couple of nights, but on occasion we’ve had guests staying for two or three weeks. And thoroughly enjoyed it.

It doesn’t seem to work like that any more, and when I’ve mentioned this to other people, I discover that I am not alone.  ‘I get increasingly selfish about my personal space,’ said a friend, who like us has quite a bit of surplus personal space in his house.  (He actually complimented me on what he saw as my saintly self-sacrifice, and the awful thing was that I rather agreed with him.)

I’ve been puzzling as to why…

1.      Age: it gets more tiring having to cater for guests as one gets older

2.      Used to peace and quiet and undisturbed environment, now that the children have left home

3.      Routine more fragmented and therefore more easily interrupted than when one worked full time

4.      At home more during the day, so have to entertain guests more

5.       In other words, one is in danger, with age, of becoming a CONTROL FREAK.    

My first instinct, having come to this horrendous conclusion, is to resist it with all my might. On reflection, however, I think I’ll just give in.   

Which would you rather be – a saint or a control freak?   Do let me know… 

helen@laterlife.com